All posts tagged: barcelona

2017 has been a year full of travels for me. And that not so as to escape home. After all, I live in magnificent Barcelona and it has been my first full year in this city. I think it’s the constant need and lust to explore, to be surprised, to live deeper that has had me hop on airplanes and roads much more often than ever before. So I’m putting together my travel highlights of this year and some plans for the next. Maybe there is some inspiration for your bucket list among them. January – Budapest, Hungary My first city and solo trip this year would take me to -20ºC Budapest. I had always wanted to visit this place and was absolutely amazed by all its morbid beauty, coffee scene, fin de siecle architecture and ruin pubs. February – Palermo, Sicily Without a doubt my top destination this year! I imagine whole Sicily beautiful throughout summer season, but Palermo in winter was an unexpected highlight. Fresco-like architecture all around, gelato, arancini, street food, enchanting …

You would think that a cancelled holiday would mean a little (travel)heartbreak to me. And indeed, it was not easy for me to call off the planned getaway to a cosy cabin in the midst of the Mallorquin countryside. But I had fallen sick some days before and was in no condition to step on a flight. And to be quite frank, I think it was not the worst thing to happen. As much as I enjoy travelling, I have been on the road so often this year that it felt good to slow down for a few days, pick up a book, take care of myself, prepare lots of breakfast and hop on a train for a relaxed day trip. But it all started with me being pretty sick, so the first days meant bed, sofa, bed, tea and some reading. My taste in books is pretty highbrow… except for the Christmas season. This is when I fall for all those kitschy single-girl-owns-a-quaint-bakery-fights-the-evil-company-chain-Christmas-is-almost-ruined-but-then-all-is-merry-after-all-plus-snowflakes novels. I’m quite sure they did help me recover though. So …

Barcelona is unlike many other cities in Europe a master of understatement even though it is overflowing with culture, architecture, artisans, bars, restaurants and nature. The good thing is: There is no such thing as the restaurant to go to. Which is why I always recommend to avoid the big venues – whether it be for dining or shopping. Barcelona’s gems can be found in the midst of the winding alleys of Gótico, on the casual placas of Gràcia, in beautiful El Born and pretty much always just around your corner. That said, I understand it’s not always easy to locate future favourite places among a great offer on a 4-day-city-trip. And so it happens that more and more fellow travellers and friends ask me for my insider tips. As I have created such lists from scratch every single time anew, I thought it was finally time for a post with my personal Barcelona insider tips. This list is neither complete nor to everyone’s taste but might give you a guiding lead. And as you …

Spring has arrived back in Barcelona, casting the softest light into my little cabin and the surrounding neighbourhood of El Born. A little photo series of a weekend spent with coffees and strawberries, with sunbathing my feet on the little balcony, strolling my streets endlessly and falling once anew for Barcelona’s sometimes bold, often subtle beauty at each and every corner.

I have been living in Barcelona for almost four months now and I couldn’t be happier in my own little studio, enjoying coffee, breakfast, books and life on my own every weekend. So here is to procrastinating and to life in this bustling city behind the centuries-old stone walls. Worst I bring I have a dirty mind Oh, I need, I need new ways To waste my time I need new ways Worst I bring I live alone, alone, alone Worst I face Keep me inside, I need new ways To waste my time I need, I need new ways I’m trying to get out Find a subtle way out Not just cross myself out Not just disappear I’ve been trying to stay out But there’s something in you I can’t be without I just need it here Daughter – New Ways

I moved to Barcelona three weeks ago. This still feels strange to say. The reason you haven’t read anything or only little about this on my blog for now is that I have been quite busy settling in. Soaking in all the details of the city, marvelling at its architecture, tasting the delicious food and getting lost in the many alleys of the old town. However, there comes a time – the third weekend for me – where you don’t want to wander the city like a tourist anymore. And that’s ok. You know these first summer mornings where the weather looks so promising you’d have a bad conscience to stay inside even though you want nothing more than a lazy Sunday at home? I somewhat feel the same way with moving abroad. Barcelona has so very much to offer – despite the wonderful weather of course – that you can’t just spend the weekend inside. Can you? Yesterday a thunderstorm was approaching and I had just made it inside before heavy raindrops hit against …